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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22439980">Badge Changes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FMRachel/pseuds/FMRachel'>FMRachel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Rookie (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Major Character Injury, Oops, Secret Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 11:27:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22439980</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FMRachel/pseuds/FMRachel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>126</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Badge Changes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mornings before work had gotten easier since the transition from TO and Rookie to just colleagues, but they were still a massive pain. Days when both of them were off was a rarity, to say the least. The alarm went off at six o’clock, both Lucy and Tim were usually up with the alarm, accompanied by groans and complaints but still up. From there it was the morning routine. However, today was different. Tim woke up with a pit of dread in his stomach, having to be coaxed up by Lucy, eventually rolling out of bed in a grump- that was quickly solved by the sight of his wife-to-be looking at him with the smallest smile on her face and love in her eyes. The words ‘soft’ and ‘Tim Bradford’ would seem to not belong together, yet here we are.</p>
<p>When at home these two were the picture of domesticity. They shared quick kisses throughout the morning and looked at one another like they had hung the moon and stars. Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen were a perfectly happy couple who obviously loved each other and would do anything for their other half. But this all changed when they arrived at work.</p>
<p>Upon entering the precinct things changed. By entering the bullpen at different times they ensured that nobody caught onto their charade. The only one of their colleagues that actually knew they were together was Jackson, because he had found out when he and Lucy had been roommates. Bradford seemed to completely change his personality, he was no longer soft eyes and slight smiles, he wore a cold atmosphere, accompanied by hard glares to anybody who looked at him wrong. He stalked into roll call and threw himself into his chair. Lucy however seemed to stay mostly the same. She shared quick hellos with everyone that she knew and smiled at those that she didn’t. She sat in roll call with a smile on her face. </p>
<p>After Lucy had passed her exams and was no longer a rookie, Grey had decided that she and Tim worked well together so they had stayed partners. This made keeping their relationship a secret slightly easier as it meant that they, Lucy, wouldn’t accidentally let anything slip to another officer. </p>
<p>During roll call Sergeant Grey briefed everyone on a chain of break ins in a certain neighbourhood. He then told everyone that due to the amount, any of them could be called in to help out. With his last words he sent the squad out on patrol.</p>
<p>While on patrol they didn’t do anything particularly interesting, two drunk drivers, one public indecency case, and a domestic that had gotten out of control. However, things got interesting just after they had gotten back into the car. Through the radio they heard a call for “responders to 241 Backfield View, reported 211, immediate assistance needed”. <br/>Chen picked up the radio “7-Adam-19 show us responding.”<br/>With these words, Bradford sped toward the crime scene.</p>
<p>Once arriving both officers could see that there obviously had been a struggle entering, the patio doors were smashed all over the floor. Both cautiously entered the house with their guns out but lowered. Chen signalled to Bradford for him to take the upstairs while she took downstairs. Bradford crept up the stairs while Chen quietly looked around downstairs, throwing herself round corners while raising her gun, ensuring that she would be able to defend herself if the situation arose. Looking around Chen realised that downstairs was clear and was just about to head upstairs when she heard a shout, a gunshot, a thud, and then the clicking of handcuffs all in quick succession of each other. </p>
<p>She rushed up the stairs and ran toward the sound. She turned into the second room on the landing to see Bradford with a bleeding wound on his side, holding a handcuffed criminal who had a gunshot wound in her leg. Chen rushed over to grab the criminal from Bradford and quickly spoke into her radio. <br/>“One 10-32, suspect detained, paramedic needed, injured officer”<br/>Lucy dragged the suspect up from the floor and turned to Tim who was leaning on a wall, “We need to get her out of the house, can you walk or should I come back for you?”<br/>Tim looked at Lucy as if she had just suggested that he grow out his hair and dye it bright pink, “Of course I can walk Chen, I was stabbed in the side, not the leg.”<br/>Lucy rolled her eyes and started walking the criminal out of the house, Tim following slowly. </p>
<p>By the time both Lucy and Tim had made it outside there was another officer and an ambulance waiting for them. <br/>“Officers Bradford and Chen, I assume you want me to take this woman to the precinct for you?” The officer asked.<br/>“Yes please, Officer Hanson.” Lucy answered with a smile, “would you mind putting her in lockup and asking Sergeant Grey to start on the paperwork he can fill in because he knows more about the case?”<br/>“Can do Officer Chen” Hanson said with a smile before grabbing the criminal and putting her in the car. He then drove off.</p>
<p>Lucy turned around with a small smile on her face to face Tim. He started to stumble toward her before falling toward the floor. It seemed as if everything was in slow motion, the paramedic and Lucy ran toward him, his body hitting the ground with a resounding thud. Tim was placed onto a gurney and Lucy told the paramedic that she would follow behind in the cruiser. </p>
<p>Fifteen minutes later and Lucy was alone in the hospital waiting room, Tim had been taken into surgery as soon as he entered the hospital due to the internal bleeding and the sheer amount of blood lost. The waiting room was cold and lonely and Lucy just felt alone. She’d let Grey know and she was excused from patrol for the rest of the day. Grey knowing meant that the rest of the squad should know and they wouldn’t be expecting them back. Lucy was expecting a phone call from Angela and maybe John, she was not expecting Angela, John, and Jackson to show up at the hospital. </p>
<p>When they all arrived she stood up and gave them all a hug before sitting down with them. This was when Angela decided to speak “Have they said anything about how he is?” <br/>“No,” Lucy replied “All I know is that he’s in surgery”<br/>“Chen” Angela spoke softly “he’ll be fine, he’s a fighter.”<br/>“Yeah,” Jackson added while Nolan nodded “Do you think he’d let himself go out like this? Or without saying goodbye?” <br/>With these words Jackson gave her a pointed look while Angela and John looked a little confused. However, Jackson’s words reminded Lucy that she wasn’t alone anymore and would be able to call Tim’s family. <br/>“I have to make some calls” Lucy said as she stood up. “I won’t be long, if the doctor comes out, come get me please.”<br/>All three of the other officers answered with a nod, while John and Angela looked all the more confused. Lucy strode out of the waiting room while dialling a number on her phone.</p>
<p>“Who is Lucy calling?” Nolan asked, confusion covering his face. <br/>“Probably Bradford’s family.” Jackson answered, as if it were the most obvious thing on the planet. <br/>“Why would she be calling his family?” Angela asked as if the idea was absolutely and utterly preposterous.<br/>“Really? Are you blind?” Jackson asked with a laugh. “Just wait for the doctor.” <br/>Jackson continued to chuckle for the next twenty minutes, until Lucy walked in with tear stains on her cheeks, and her eyes red and puffy. <br/>“Has the doctor been out yet?” She asked, choking back a sob.<br/>“No not yet,” John answered, sympathy laced in his voice “You ok Lucy?”<br/>“Yeah, I’m good, thank you guys.” Lucy answered with a small smile.</p>
<p>Almost as if she had been summoned by the mention of her name, a doctor stepped into the waiting room. <br/>“Family of Tim Bradford?” She asked looking around the room.<br/>“Yes!” All four of the police officers said at the same time while standing up, “That’s us!” <br/>“Are any of you his actual family?” The doctor asked looking at the people who had surrounded her very quickly. <br/>Angela, Jackson, and John all shook their heads and thirty seconds later Lucy piped up with “I’m his fiancée.”<br/>Angela and John’s eyes widened. The doctor nodded and ushered her through to the next room. As Lucy left Angela and John immediately started talking. After two minutes of garbled words and mess, Angela spoke up.<br/> “Wait, wait, wait. Obviously it’s a lie. She just wanted to be able to see him and find out what is going on.”<br/>John instantly agreed with her while Jackson just rolled his eyes.</p>
<p>It was half past two the next morning when Angela, John, and Jackson got a phone call saying that they could come visit Tim whenever they wanted. However, since all three of them had gone home to get a shower and rest, they all got to the hospital at different times, meaning Lucy and Tim had to explain everything three times. <br/>“Yes we are actually engaged.”<br/>“No, I wasn’t just saying it so I could make sure he was ok.” <br/>“We didn’t tell you because it felt like an us thing, not a work thing.”<br/>“We dated for two years before getting engaged.”<br/>“Yes, that’s soon but in our line of work we can’t really wait.”</p>
<p>After what felt like years of questioning all three of the other officers nodded.<br/>“Ok, we understand.”</p>
<p>And with those words everything went back to normal. With the exception of four months later Lucy’s name tag changed to say ‘Bradford’.</p>
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